Air or gas compressor.



G. G. HARMON.

AIR OR GAS UOMPRESSGR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1910.

Patented Aug". 1, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

. C. G. HARMON.

AIR OR GAS COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1910.

999,220, Patented Aug. 1,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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CHRISTOPHER C. HARMON, OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.

AIR OR GAS COMPRESSOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

Application filed June 20, 1910. Serial No. 567,904.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER C. HAR- MON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Charlotte, in the county of 'Mecklenburg and Stateof North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air orGas Compressors, of which the following is a' Specification.

This invention relates to improvements in air or gas compressors, andparticular-1y to a pump for use in ammonia refrigerating plants forcompressing the gas from the coils into the condenser, although it maybe used for compressing fluids of various kinds for various purposes.

' The objects of the invention are, first, to provide a novel, simpleand compact type of gearing for driving the pump piston, which gearingobviates the necessity of employing the usual rod connection between thecrank shaft and piston and enables the piston to be driven at a desiredreduced rate of speed from a high speed motor; second, to provide agearing of the character described whereby one or more compressors maybe driven from the same shaft; third, to provide a novel arrangement ofstufling box to prevent the escape of gas from the compressor andentrance of air into the system; fourth, to provide a novel constructionand arrangementof the suction and delivery valves, whereby the parts ofthe valve mechanism may be conveniently assembled and disassembled asoccasion requires; fifth, to provide means for rotating the valves underthe pressure of the gas to secure an even wear upon the valves and valveseats; and, finally, to generally simplify and improve the constructionand increase the practical efliciency of compressors of this type.

'With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of thefeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of parts,hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central vertical sectionthrough an air compressor embodying my invention, showing the piston ata pointi about midway of its suction stroke. Fig. 2- is a verticalsection, partially in elevation, taken on a plane at right angles to theplane of section shown in Fig. 1, and illustrating the piston at the endof its working stroke. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side elevation ofcylinder.

the suction valve. Fig. 4 is an enlarged central vertical transversesection through the outlet or delivery valve.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a suitable hollow base or framewhich supports the parts of the pump and may also with the frame orindependently thereof and bolted or otherwise properly secured thereto.The upper section 3 is in the form of a yoke open at front and rear andflanged at its lower end for the passage of bolts 5 to secure the sameto the bottom section and frame.

The section 2 carries a depending hollow piston guide 6, while thesection 3 carries I the pump cylinder 7 which is provided at itsnormally open upper end with an outturned annular horizontal flange 8.The piston 9 extends vertically through the crank casing and has itslower end movable in the guide 6 and its upper end movable in thecylinder 7 and' provided with packing rings 10 to prevent as far aspossible leakage of gas outwardly between the same and the wall of theSupported by the section 3 is a stuffing box 11 through which the pistonworks, saidbox comprising an externally threaded collar 12 forming thebody of the box within which is arranged suitable packing 13. A gland orfollower 14 surrounds thepiston and is adjustable withinthe collar toforce the packing into engagement with the piston. A flanged nut 15engages the threadedcollar and its flange 16 is arranged to bear againsta flange 17 on the gland, whereby the latter may be adjusted. By thisconstruction and arrangement of the stuffing box the exhaust of any gaswhich may pass the packing rings 10 and the inlet of'air to the lowerend of the cylinder from internal suction is prevented, with obviousadvantages.

The crank shaft 18 carries a worm wheel 19 meshing with a worm pinion 20on a driving shaft 21. This driving shaft may receive motion fromanysuitable source of power but in the present instance is shown asprovided with a fly wheel 22 and driven by a motor 23 mounted on thebase 1. This type of gearing adapts the crank shaft to be driven at aproperly reduced rate of speed for Operating the pump from a high speedmotor. One end of the crank shaft 18 is shown as ournaled 'in a bearing23 on the casing section 2, and its opposite. end may be journaled in aproperly ,arranged bearing, (not shown). Said shaft may also extendbeyond the primarily drivencompressor to one or more other compressorsfor operating the pistons thereof, in which event-the section 2 of thecrank casing may be provided with an oil channel 24 leading therefrom tothe oil chamber 4 of the adjacent compressor or to the points where thebearings of the shaft are arranged to supply the same with lubricant.The end of the shaft journaled in the bearing 23 carries a crank wheelor disk 25 which is provided with a crank pin 26 operating within and inconjunction with an eccentric yoke 27 carried by the piston 9 forreciprocating the latter as the shaft revolves. In order to preventundue friction and grinding and sliding of the surfaces of the crank pinand yoke upon each other, I provide said crank pin with a channeledbearing ring 28 between which and the periphery ofthe pin is disposed anannular series of anti-friction bearing balls or rollers 29. By thisconstruction a free and easy motion of the parts upon one another issecured, with a reduction of wear and friction. This means for impartingmotion from the crank shaft to the piston dispenses with the use of theordinary connecting rod and effects sufiicient economy of space toenable the stuffing box 11 to be disposed as shown for the purposedescribed.

The valve mechanism comprises a'bonnet or casing '30 mounted upon theupper end of the cylinder and provided with a flange 31 at its basesecured to the flange 8 of the cylinder by bolts 32. This bonnet orcasing is provided with a stufling box 33 at its upper end, throughwhich enters the suction pipe 34, said stufiing box preventing leak.-age of gas on the discharge action, and leading from one side of saidbonnet at the upper end thereof isthe outlet or discharge pipe 35.Arranged within the bonnet 'is a guide tube 36 having a threadedengagement at its upper end with the suction pipe 34 and having itslower end provided with a horizontal seat flange 37 which engages arecess 38 formed in the upper end of the cylinder and is held clampedtherein by the bonnet 30. The base of the guide tube is formed centrallywith an inlet port 39 the wall of which is beveled to form a seat for aninwardly opening suction'valve 40, the

stem 41 of which extends upwardly throughthe guide tube and into the endof the pipe 34. Within the guide tube is providedan tion of thedischargin annular shoulder 42 against which bears the lower end of acoiled spring 43 which surrounds the stem and engages at its upper endthe nut 44 on the stem whereby the tension of the spring may beregulated, said spring acting to normally holdthe suction valve closed.The upper end of the stem 41 carries a cross pin 45 acting as a stop tolimit the downward movement of the valve in the event of the looseningof the nut and its disengagement from the threaded portion of the stem,whereby the valve will be prevented from dropping far enough into thecylinder'to derange or impair the working etficiency of the valvemechanism. Formed or provided upon the valve stem are spiral vanes orblades 46 arranged in the path of the entering gas and acting aspropeller blades whereby the valve will be rotated by the pressure ofthe gas to adjust it so as to 'secure equal grinding wear upon the faceof the valve and its seat.

The flange of the guide tube is provided with an annular series ofdischarge ports 47 and its upper surface is beveled to form a seat 48for the outlet valve 49 which controls said ports; The said valve isprovided with an upwardly extending tubular stem 50 which surrounds theguide tube and forms a shoulder 51 at its point of juncture with thevalve. A coiled spring 52 surrounds the stem and bears at one endagainst said shoulder and engages at its upper end a retaining flange orrojection 53 upon the top of the bonnet. 11 its interior the valve isformed with spiral vanes 54 acting as propeller blades whereby a porgasflowing up- Wardly between the guide tube and valve stem will rotate theValve, thus causing it to wear uniformly to maintain a tight engagementwith its seat.

In the operation of the pump, it will be understood that through theaction of the worm gearing and the crank connection between the drivingshaft and the piston, the latter will be reciprocated. On the down orsuction stroke of the piston the outlet valve willbe closed by thesuction and action of its spring, while the suction valve will be openedfor the admission of the gas into the cylinder. Upon the upstroke of thepiston the gas drawn into the cylinder will be compressed and the outletvalve lifted from its, seat, the gas discharging through the ports 47and the pipe, 35. In the operation of the valves they will be rotated ontheir axes by the pressure of the flowing gas, whereby the faces of thevalves and their seats will be uniformly worn at all points. Upondetaching the bolts 32 the valve casing and parts of the valve,mechanism may be disconnected from the cylinder, thus enabling theelements of the valve mechanism to be readily and conceases venientlycleaned, repaired or replaced with new parts in the event that any ofthe ele-- ments thereof are injured or worm out.

Having thus described my invention, I claim r 1. A compressor pumpembodying a cylinder, apiston operatin therein, a. valve cardingdetachably secur to the cylinder an a guide tube arranged within thecasing and communicating with the inlet passage and provided with asuctlon port and discharge ports, a spring closed suction valve con:trolling said suction port and arranged within the guide tube, a springclosed outlet valve surrounding the guide tube and controlling saiddischarge ports, and means for actuating the piston.

2. A compressor pump embodying a cylinder, a piston operating therein, avalve casing mounted on the cylinder and having inlet and outletpassages, a guide tube arranged within the valve CfiSlIlg andcommunicating at one end with said inlet passage and providedat itsopposite end with a suction port and discharge ports, a spring closedsuction valve controlling said suction port and having a stem arrangedwithin the guide tube, a spring closed outlet valve havin a hollow bodysurrounding the guide times and controlling said discharge ports,propeller vanes upon the stem of the suction valve within the guidetube, and propeller vanesupon the interior of the hollow body of theoutlet valve.

rovided with inlet and outlet passages,

3. A compressor pump embodying a cylinder, .a piston operatin therein,a. valve casing secured. to the cy der and having inlet and; outlet ssaes, a. guide tube arranged within t e va ve casing and connected at itsup er end with the inlet passage and provl ed at its lower end with asuction port and an outwardly extending flange formed with discharports, a spring closed suction valve contro ling said suction port andhaving a stem movable within the guide tube, a sprin closed outlet valvecomprising a hollow ody surrounding the guide tube and arranged to seatagainst the flange to control the discharge ports, and means foractuating the piston.

4. A compressor pump embodying a cylinder, a piston operating therem, avalve casing detachably secured to the cylinder and provided with .inletand outlet passages, a gulde tube communicating with the inlet passageand having a suction port and discharge ports, said tube being old inposition by said casing, a spring-closed suction valve controlling saidsuction port and arranged within the guide tube, a springclosed outletvalve surrounding the guide tube and controlling said discharge ports,

and means for actuatingI the piston.

In testimony whereof aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER G. HARMON. Witnesses:

' .C. G. Hmns,

BENNETT S. Jones.

